No good deed goes unpunished. For private investigator Harrison Hart that’s more than an old cliché—it’s his current damn life. After giving up his FBI career to care for his mentally ill brother, Harrison does his best to adjust to life in suburban Detroit. The last thing he needs is somebody else’s problems. But when he sees a lowlife grab a woman’s purse and run, what can Harrison do but chase him down? This one act of heroism draws Harrison into a messy crossfire of deceit, betrayal, and ruthless criminal ambition, where not even the victim of a purse-snatching can claim innocence. In the fallout, Harrison reluctantly plays good Samaritan once more, though it means mixing with crafty Detroit gangsters, crooked politicians, and the bottom-feeders living off their scraps. This time, instead of chasing down a purse, he must race to save a woman’s life and pull the Motor City back from the edge of a simmering mob war. Filled with vivid characters and crackling wit, The Quiet Edge explores the meaning of family and the lengths we’ll go to protect our own. “Cornell does it again with a masterfully written and compelling story. His books always go to the top of my list. Grab a copy of The Quiet Edge today. You won’t regret it.” —Robert Gregory Browne, Bestselling author of Trial Junkies

Running a karaoke bar is no way for an ex-PI to make a living. Just ask Ridley Brone, a California private investigator who returns to his Michigan hometown when he inherits his estranged parents' multi-million-dollar estate. The songs they wrote made them rich, but their popular karaoke bar, the High Note, made them famous. Now Ridley owns a bar he doesn't have a clue how to manage, and his every effort seems only to further tarnish his parents' legacy. Then Ridley's high school love, Autumn, shows up asking for help. She suspects her husband of having an affair and wants Ridley to find the truth. Itching to do the kind of work he knows, Ridley takes her case. But after he finds her husband murdered, the karaoke bar feels like vacation compared to the hard job of proving Autumn's innocence. Last Call mixes wry humor and gritty noir, shaking out a mystery that fans of Harlan Coben and Janet Janet Evanovich will guzzle down with delight.

Welcome to the second year's-worth of stories from the online magazine ZNB Presents published by the small press Zombies Need Brains. In these pages, you will find original science fiction and fantasy stories of awe and wonder, darkness and light, ranging through all of the subgenres, including urban fantasy, alternate history, space opera, future fairy tales, and more. They come from the most talented authors in the field today—new voices as well as trusted and familiar names. Join us as we explore visions of the past, present, and future, as we encounter strange new creatures, both in our own backyard, in the depths of space, and our own imagination. Here you will: —Search for a cryptid in the mean streets of the city that tricks you into walking into its mouth —Scavenge in a world where AI has passed the singularity —Relive the scents of a recently lost world at a near-future carnival —Fleece the rich in a South African suborbirail —Hunt vampires in the crypts beneath the Kremlin with a saint by your side —Bargain with the sentient plants in a precarious alliance on a colonized world —Uncover the alternate assassin of Abraham Lincoln —Concoct potions as an apprentice with just a touch too much flare —Become an AI struggling to complete its mission after crashlanding on an alien world And so much more! Twenty-four stories written by Daniel Roman, Ty Lazar, L.P. Melling, Nathan W. Toronto, Caias Ward, Jonathan Robbins Leon, Marie Vibbert, Rob Cornell, Mike Jack Stoumbos, J.L. George, Brian Hugenbruch, Andrew Gudgel, Alicia Cay, Elektra Hammond, Derrick Boden, Alma Alexander, Melinda Brasher, Louis Evans, Niall Spain, Brian Crenshaw, S.C. Butler, Sam Robb, Liam Hogan, and Christine Lucas, each with its own illustration by artists Kat D'Andrea, Ariel Guzman, or Greg Uchrin. Welcome to the multifaceted worlds of ZNB Presents . Find us on Patreon at: http://www.patreon.com/zombiesneedbrains

Sorcerer Sebastian Light has cornered the market on demon hunting in Detroit. With control over the elements, he can burn through bounties as fast as the Ministry can issue them—much to the chagrin of the Motor City's other hunters. But after a group of vampires taints him with their blood, collecting bounties is the least of his worries. News of Sebastian's vampire infection spreads through the city like Hellfire. Now he has a contract on his own head, and his rivals see an opportunity to take out their biggest competition. He can expend magical energy to keep the infection from blazing through him, but fending off constant attacks at the same time requires more power than even he can muster. Weakening daily and hunted wherever he goes, Sebastian scrambles to find a cure—before this fight for his life leaves him undead.

A magical brand keeps Detroit sorcerer Sebastian Light from succumbing to the vampire infection roiling through his blood, but the brand also cuts him off from half of his power—maybe more. Uncertain of his new limitations, Sebastian tries to play it safe even while hunting beasts on the Motor City's paranormal most wanted list. But after a cadre of vampires attacks and burns down his home, like it or not, Sebastian must put those limits to the test—especially when he finds himself up against D-Town's oldest and most powerful vampire. More than Sebastian's soul rides on finally defeating these undead deadbeats, including the lives of everyone he loves…and a chance to learn the truth behind his father's mysterious death.

On the heels of a brutal loss, Detroit sorcerer Sebastian Light has one, all consuming goal—the complete obliteration of the black witch coven the Maidens of Shadow. He does not care how much dark power they yield. He does not care what horrors he may face. And he does not care that his reckless use of his own magic might destroy him. But the Maidens aren't the only evil in the Motor City. The Detroit Ministry has suffered a coup, and its new leader threatens to dismantle the political system that maintains balance between the city's natural and supernatural worlds. While Sebastian's quest for vengeance blinds him to this larger threat, he can only ignore it for so long. Like it or not… Detroit will need the Unturned.

Once employed by a shadowy government agency to battle paranormal threats, Craig Lockman has spent the last fifteen years in forced retirement. But when a teen girl shows up at his door claiming she’s his daughter, he quickly ends up back in the fight…because she has unwittingly led Lockman’s most hated enemy straight to him. Forced on the run, he struggles to protect the girl from an onslaught of nightmarish creatures, all working for his vicious rival. It soon becomes clear if he wants to put an end to the carnage, Lockman must strike back and finally defeat a man more evil than any of the horrors he commands. Darker Things is the first book in a high-octane supernatural suspense series guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat through every terrifying twist. Praise for Darker Things: “…fast-moving, violent, dark, and engrossing. Highly recommended.” – J.D. Rhoades, author of The Devil’s Right Hand “Reminiscent of Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, and all my old-school horror favorites, Darker Things is a phenomenal start to a dark fiction series.” – Travis Luedke “OMG what a ride this book was!! I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down. I read it in two days. Non-stop action, twists and surprises. Great character development and story line.” – P. Hanson "Imagine if James Patterson wrote about vampires… Dark and thrilling, brisk and brutal." -- Will Entrekin

Detroit sorcerer Sebastian Light thought his darkest days had passed, but an even greater darkness lies ahead. When a long-time beloved friend suddenly falls ill, and his mysterious symptoms continue to worsen, Sebastian will do anything to save him. Clues suggest the sickness may have magical origins, prompting Sebastian to try to track the source and put an end to his friend's suffering. His search pits him against the most powerful black witch coven in the Midwest—the Maidens of Shadow. Once tenuous allies, the Maidens now have little sympathy for the collateral damage their plans will cause. And while Sebastian's growing rage over his friend's plight gives him access to powerful magic, how he wields that power could lead him into a dark place from which he may never return.

Three years after the case that changed Ridley Brone forever, he has cobbled together a life he can deal with, working as a PI out of the office above his karaoke bar. Then Eddie Arndt walks in. He wants Ridley to investigate his family’s murder-suicide from twenty years ago. But to Ridley, it doesn’t sound like there’s much to investigate. He passes on the case until he receives a peculiar phone call. Cryptic, vulgar, and disturbing. the caller threatens the one thing most precious to Ridley. Something very few even know about. Ridley uses Eddie’s case as a distraction from the continued harassment by the strange caller. But when Ridley learns Eddie has a caller of his own who claims to be his family’s real killer, Ridley can draw only one conclusion…they’re both getting conned. The search for who’s hustling them and why leads Ridley down the twisted trails of both their pasts. What he discovers will force him to question every assumption, and lead him to one hard truth… The easiest targets are those with the most to lose.

The Agency taught him how to fight monsters, not a war. How to protect his country, not those he loved. How to kill, not how to live. Now Craig Lockman faces a legion of vampires led by a self-proclaimed vampire king. Never before have these creatures amassed in such great numbers. Their goal is uncertain. Their reach unknown. And while Lockman's training can help in the battle against this dark legion, nothing can prepare him for the sacrifice he must make in order to defeat its king. This thrilling follow-up to Darker Things doesn’t stop delivering wicked twists until the very last page. Don’t wait a second longer. Grab your copy of Dark Legion now! “[Rob Cornell’s] books always go to the top of my list.” —Robert Gregory Browne, bestselling author of Kiss Her Goodbye and Kill Her Again